Like Magic
by ShainaNight
Summary: Everyone in the Russo household is so absorbed with Justin's new girlfriend that they don't notice Alex slipping through the cracks. Nick is tired of his brothers teasing him. So what happens when Alex ends up in New Jersey? WOWP/JONAS crossover.
1. Runaway

**Okay here's the Wizards of Waverly Place/JONAS crossover I promised. Not as much comedy as its predecessor, Missing Macy, although there will be some. There's no way JONAS can't be funny :) Inspired by the Wizards vs. Vampires saga on Disney Channel right now.  
**

**Please review! :)  
**

The day Justin fell in love with Juliet, everything changed in the Russo house. No one noticed it; after all, vampire girlfriends who work at your rival sandwich shop can be rather distracting.

"Justin, did you hear anything I just said?" I asked, annoyed.

"I'm sorry, what?" Justin snapped out of his daydream and looked at me, confused.

I sighed and stood up from where I had been sitting on the couch. The sight of him staring at a picture of Juliet in a heart-shaped frame was starting to creep me out. "Never mind. It wasn't that important," I told him before heading upstairs.

My brother didn't respond. He was already lost in his daydream again.

Of course he wouldn't even care if I told him. He and his girlfriend were doing great, so why would it matter if his little sister and her boyfriend broke up? Why would it matter how much it hurt her, how much she needed a shoulder to cry on besides Harper's, someone who was family?

So maybe I was a little more cynical than usual, but I couldn't help it. Dean was everything to me, and then he goes and rips my heart out. If anyone in my family bothered to look they would see how bloodshot my eyes were or how I wasn't eating that much anymore. That wasn't even the worst of it.

I'd lost my magic.

Or at least, it was malfunctioning. Even simple spells took too much energy, and that scared me. I didn't want to wake up on the floor again.

I sprawled out on my bed and buried my face in my pillow. There had to be something I could do. Everything in the house, the Sub Station, and even Waverly Place reminded me of him, and it felt like a knife in my heart every time. Talking about it apparently wasn't going to work. I considered staying at Harper's for a little while, at least to make a point, until I remembered that she was on vacation with her family for the summer—something about scuba diving in Lake Eerie; I hadn't dared to question further. And then it hit me.

Run away.

It was probably the scariest option, but I wasn't exactly in my right mind at the time. After all, it was something Alex Russo would do. And maybe they'd finally notice if I disappeared. Maybe they'd care then.

I dragged myself off my bed and threw some things into a shoulder bag—just the necessities. I was a little irrational and didn't consider that I might need a bit more than that to survive on my own. Then I tied on my favorite old pair of converse, tucked my wand into my jeans—not that I was sure I would be able to use it but just in case—and climbed out the window via the fire escape.

I wasn't sure where I was going. All I knew was that I had to get out of New York, away from all the memories Dean and I had made there and as far from my house as possible, so no one could find me. It was already getting dark when I left. I used the last of my allowance—not smart I know but I wasn't exactly thinking—on a forty-seven minute bus fare to Wyckoff, New Jersey. It began to sprinkle as soon as I left the bus. I didn't even notice until it started pouring, and then realization came flooding in.

Here I was wandering around an unfamiliar town at the dead of night, completely lost and drenched. What in the world was I doing? Wyckoff was miles away from home, and without money I had no way back besides walking. Even that was no longer an option after I tripped over a rock and twisted my ankle.

Maybe dying was better than having to live with a broken heart. I didn't know what else to do—being half-delirious anyway—so I just lay down on the cold alleyway pavement behind a large, red brick building and watched the dull world fade away.


	2. Home Sweet Home?

**If you were wondering where I got the idea for this crossover, it's came from where both shows are supposed to take place. I mean, with New York and New Jersey being so close, it's possible that the Lucases and Russos could meet. And anyway, both Kevin and Joe already had special someones, and I felt Nick was a little left out :)**

**I don't own WOWP or JONAS. Please review :)  
**

"Man I'm so glad we're home," Joe said as he and his brothers trudged through the front door. The whole rescuing Macy thing, especially the getting beaten up part, had really worn them out.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you," Frankie warned them.

"What are you talking about?" Kevin asked, mystified. All he could think about was the soft bunk bed upstairs that was calling his name.

Nick nudged him and pointed. Sandy Lucas was standing in the living room, arms crossed and a scary look on her face.

"Oh." Kevin gulped.

"What in the world did you think you were DOING?" She asked, enunciating each word.

"They kidnapped me! I didn't have a choice!" Joe shouted, breaking early.

"Way to sell it, Joe," Nick muttered.

"What? You know I don't do well under pressure," Joe responded.

"Purposefully running away from your father and the Big Man in a foreign country and then nearly getting killed by a crazy man? Twice?"

"But Mom, Macy!" Kevin said, pulling the sensitivity card.

"I'm glad she's safe now, but you could have handled it differently. You could have told an adult."

Kevin opened his mouth to argue, but Nick stepped on his foot to shush him. "We're really sorry, Mom. We promise it won't happen again," he said.

"You bet it won't. And don't think you guys are getting off scotch-free either. You are going to be spending the next week cleaning this firehouse from top to bottom until it sparkles. Do you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am," Kevin, Joe, and Nick responded in monotone voices.

"And you can start right now. Kevin, I want you to mop the wood floor. Joe, you're in charge of vacuuming the rugs. And Nick, I need you to take out the trash," Mrs. Lucas ordered. Her words were met by a chorus of groans.

"Can't we take a nap first?" Joe asked, yawning.

"No, you can sleep later. Now get a move on."

The brothers slouched off to do their respective jobs.

"I can't believe this. I haven't had a good sleep since we left Macy in the hospital," Kevin complained as he searched high and low for this thing his mother called a 'mop'.

"Well at least she's coming home tomorrow. Stella's grounded, so I won't be seeing her for a while," Joe remarked.

Nick didn't say anything. Cleaning the house wasn't so bad of a punishment in his opinion. Then again, he didn't exactly have a girlfriend to worry about. He sighed, grabbed the bag out of the trash can, and headed for the alleyway behind the firehouse.

It was dark outside, but Nick was thankful that at least it had stopped raining. He deposited the trash in an empty metal can and turned to go back inside when his foot caught on something soft.

"What the…" Nick said, approaching whatever had tripped him with caution. In the dark it was hard to make out what it was. He felt the brick wall beside him until his fingers caught on a light switch and flicked it on. Weak yellow light spilled over the alley, revealing a girl curled up on the ground, her dark hair and clothes plastered to her body. She seemed to be around the same age as him and was rather pretty, but all Nick could think about was how sick she looked.

Common sense told him to go get his mom, but something about this girl told him she didn't exactly want to be found. You would think he would have listened to his common sense, especially after what had transpired in Mexico, but guys don't always think things through.

Nick glanced inside the house to see if the coast was clear. His parents were talking in the living room, Kevin was nowhere to be seen, and Joe was still trying to figure out how to work the vacuum. Deciding that it was now or never, Nick lifted the limp girl over his shoulder and took the stairs next to the kitchen up to the attic.

The firehouse's attic was Nick's secret sanctuary. No one else bothered to go up there, so it was where he went for some peace and quiet. The majority of it was covered in boxes stacked to the ceiling and dust, but in the far corner was a dust-free area complete with an old cast-iron bed and a wooden roll top desk where Nick spent his time writing songs. In the daytime, sunlight poured through the stained glass window next to the bed, painting the entire attic in a myriad of jewel-bright colors.

Nick laid the girl on the bed and pulled the quilted comforter up to her chin. Then he left to find out what else his mom wanted him to do before he got in trouble for being gone so long. He paused in the doorway to look back at the girl—his new secret—and smiled for the first time in a while.


	3. Rainbow Painted World

**I don't own WOWP or JONAS. Please review! :)**

I didn't want to wake up. I was way too comfortable and warm, and I didn't want that to change. But then something in my brain clicked. Last night I hadn't fallen asleep in my bed. The last thing I could remember was stumbling around in New Jersey…

My eyes snapped open and I sat bolt upright. This wasn't exactly the best idea; my head was throbbing, and the slightest twitch of my ankle sent a shooting pain up my leg. I resigned myself to lying back on the pillow and observing my rainbow-painted surroundings. Everything was so strange—the boxes, the desk, even the bed I was lying in. Yet someone had removed me from that alleyway, put me here, and covered me up. I didn't think it was possible, even as a wizard, to float into random people's houses while passed out.

As if in answer to my thoughts, the door on the other side of the room opened slowly, a pair of honey-brown eyes peered in at me. A curly-headed boy of about fifteen, who looked slightly familiar for some reason, entered the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. When he saw I was awake, he smiled. That angelic smile made the place where my heart used to be feel a little funny.

"You're awake," the boy said in relief.

"Who are you? Where am I?" I asked. I was surprised to find that my voice was barely more than a whisper due to a swollen throat. I coughed involuntarily and found it hard to stop.

The stranger was at my side in a second, rubbing my back and looking concerned. "You must have been out in the rain for quite some time."

"I'm not sick," I stated firmly, although my voice betrayed me. "See, I'm perfectly fine." I swung my feet over the side of the bed and stood up, completely forgetting about my twisted ankle. I inhaled sharply and lost my balance.

The boy caught me before I hit the ground and placed me back on the bed. "I think that proves my point," he said, his face serious.

I sighed and glared at him through narrow eyes. I guess the old Alex Russo was still alive deep inside. Barely. "You still haven't answered my questions," I reminded him.

My rescuer looked mildly surprised. "You mean you don't know who I am?"

"No, not really." Why should I know who he was? I'd never seen him before in my life. Well, unless you count that familiar look he had to him, but maybe that was just because he resembled someone else I knew.

"My name's Nick Lucas." Even the name rung a bell—albeit a very small one. I still couldn't place him. "What's yours?"

I hesitated before answering. If I told him my full name, he might hear it later when my parents went looking for me and take me home, back to all the memories that had driven me away in the first place. But for some strange reason I didn't want to lie to him. There was just something about him, the way his eyes had a tendency to see right into my soul, that kept me from it.

"Alex," I said simply.

"Alex what?"

"Just Alex."

Nick smiled, making something in my chest flutter again. "Nice to meet you, Just Alex."

Despite the soreness in my throat and everything I'd been through thus far, I laughed.

***************

There was something about Alex—something almost magical—that captivated Nick. He loved her laugh and that twinkle in her deep brown eyes that was becoming more and more common, and the way her dark, wavy hair fell over her right eye. He had no idea who she really was or where she came from. He did, however, know she had run away; that much was clear. But somehow she didn't know he was a member of JONAS and talked to him like he was a regular person, and he liked that. Especially after the 'Emily Incident', which was not to be brought up in civilized conversation at any time.

"Oh no, Kevin. Nick has 'the look'," Joe announced at dinner three days later.

"Pray tell? Can it be?" Kevin chimed in, grinning mischievously.

"What 'look'?" Nick asked, glancing up from the peas he had been absentmindedly rolling around on his plate.

"The 'I've-fallen-hopelessly-in-love-forever-in-eternity' look," Joe said, wearing the same stupid grin as his older brother.

"So, Nick, who is she?" Kevin prodded.

"I have no idea who you're talking about," Nick deadpanned, trying to look innocent. In truth he had just been thinking about Alex, who was currently napping in the attic. For the past two days Nick had been sneaking her food and anything else she needed, which was getting harder to do. Good thing there was an old bathroom attached to the attic—Nick didn't think he'd be able to sneak her into the bathroom downstairs every couple hours in a day. The rest of the family hadn't noticed anything yet; they were used to Nick going upstairs to be alone.

"Suuure. But I'm warning you, Stella's going to be ungrounded in a few days, and when that day comes she'll be on your case day and night until she finds out who it is," Joe told him.

Nick didn't respond, pretending to be interested in his roll. The thought of Stella snooping around scared him; if anyone could sniff out a girl hiding in the attic it was her. But it wasn't as if he had another place to take Alex, especially now that she had developed a cold and needed someone to look after her.

"Okay boys, stop picking on your brother," Mr. Lucas told his sons. "Unless this leads to a really great song—"

"Tom," Mrs. Lucas warned.

"Never mind." Mr. Lucas suddenly became very engrossed in his food.

"May I be excused?" Nick asked, well aware that his brothers were staring at him with knowing looks on their faces.

"Go ahead," his mother said.

"I do believe he's going to lock himself up in the attic and call this nonexistent girlfriend of his," Joe remarked.

"Ooh, 'nonexistent'. Nice one, Joe," Kevin said.

"I know! I read it in a book Stella got me for Christmas. Took me ages to figure out it was a dictionary. But I mean, come on, she put an action novel cover over it, so how was I supposed to know?" Joe responded.

Nick used this opportunity while everyone was staring at Joe in disbelief to escape. As soon as he reached the attic and shut the door behind him, he said, "Okay, we have a problem."

Alex was blowing her nose on her twenty-fourth tissue. "No kidding. I'm going through Kleenex boxes like crazy. This cold is ridiculous," she said wearily.

"No, the real problem is that my brother's girlfriend is coming over in a few days and she's sure to find out your living up here sooner or later." Nick couldn't help thinking that how she looked beautiful even with a red, puffy nose.

"Oh." Alex leaned back again the headboard of the bed and stared at her hands.

Nick sat down next to her. "Alex, why exactly did you run away in the first place?" He asked softly.

**If you were wondering, Alex doesn't know who JONAS is because she doesn't listen to that kind of music. Her style's more punk/rock :) Although she has seen the band's faces a few times on TV and stuff, so that's why Nick looks a little familiar.**


	4. The Nature of Secrets

**Sorry it took so long to update; we shall blame the Great Crash of 2009 lol. This chapter starts out from Alex's perspective, by the way.**

**I don't own WOWP or JONAS. Please review :)  
**

I debated answering. I suppose I did owe him some kind of explanation; after all he had taken me in. I could be some roaming psycho for all he knew. But it was going to be difficult getting through it without breaking down into tears. The old me never used to cry, and the new me was still wasn't used to it.

"It's stupid, really. My boyfriend broke up with me, and no one in my family even bothered to be there for me. Then everything started to remind me of him—I couldn't take it anymore, so I just bolted," I said slowly.

"Couldn't you just go back?" Nick asked.

I shook my head. "It's complicated."

"Does it have something to do with this?"

I gasped as he picked up a strip of wood from a nearby hatbox: my wand. Last thing I knew it had been hidden beneath my shirt. "Where'd you get that?" I asked.

Nick turned a little red. "I saw it sticking out of your jeans and thought it might be a little uncomfortable," he admitted. He handed it to me.

"Thanks." I grabbed my wand and rubbed my thumb over the familiar ebony surface of it. I looked at Nick uncertainly. "Do you—do you know what it is?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me." Nick looked hesitant, yet curious. He didn't want to pry too far into my life, but exactly why it was so important to me intrigued him.

I sighed. "Okay, here it is…"

****************

"I should have listened to her."

"Justin, you can't blame yourself for this."

"She's my little sister, Juliet. My only sister. I mean, sure, we fight and all, but it's my job to protect her. And now she's gone."

Justin and Juliet were sitting on the steps of the Sub Station, discussing Alex's disappearance. It was late, but Justin was too upset to go to sleep.

"Hey, maybe I could track her down," Juliet said excitedly.

"How?"

"Vampire sense of smell, remember? She has the same wizard scent as you do. Might take me a little while, but I bet I could find her."

"Would you really do that?"

"Of course. I'm worried about her too." Juliet smiled, squeezed his hand, and stood up. "See you soon."

With that the girl leapt off the step, transforming into a bat in midair and disappearing into the night.

"Good luck!" Justin called after her before getting up and going inside, feeling slightly relieved.

******************

"A wizard."

"Yup."

"You're expecting me to believe you're really some sort of witch?"

"Wizard, actually, but yeah."

Nick sat across from Alex, his cross-legged posture mirroring hers. His face bore the look of utter incredulity. "Prove it," he said.

Those were the words Alex had been dreading, but she was ready for them. She inhaled deeply and clasped Nick's hands in his, not noticing the pinkness that arose in his cheeks. She shut her eyes and concentrated.

Nick gasped. Ten million fireflies had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, all of them shimmering with an ethereal golden light. They swirled around him and then Alex, setting her pale skin aglow. She opened her eyes and smiled, and Nick saw the magic shining in the smooth brown depths of her eyes. The fireflies circled the pair one last time before fizzling out into nothingness.

"Wow." That was all Nick could manage to get out.

All of a sudden, Alex's grip on his hands slackened, and she fell forward.

"Alex! Are you okay?" Nick asked, grabbing her by the shoulders. Her eyes refocused, and she grinned elatedly.

"I didn't pass out that time!" She announced, as if it made perfect sense.

"What?"

"I used to pass out before, back when…when _he_ left. But this time I didn't."

"Oh. Well I'm glad you didn't."

"So do you believe me now?"

"About the magic? Well since the window is sealed shut and I'm pretty sure this attic isn't infested with vanishing lightning bugs, I have to say I do."

"And are you okay with it?"

Nick had to think about that one. The initial shock from what he had seen had been mind numbing. "Yeah. I think so."

Alex breathed in relief. "Promise not to tell anyone?" she said, her eyes pleading.

Nick clasped her hands firmly in his, rubbing his thumbs over the cool skin. "I swear not to tell a soul," he said. The smile he received made his heart melt again.

"Thank you," Alex said.

Nick noticed he was leaning in and immediately pulled back, realizing that this was probably not the best time to kiss her. He cleared his throat. "We still have to figure out what to do with you."

Alex's face fell. "I wish I could just stay here forever."

"Me too," Nick responded sincerely. He thought for a bit. "Macy!"

"Who?"

"My older brother's girlfriend—the other one, not the one coming over in a few days—she might be able to help."

"Why would she?"

Nick hesitated before speaking. "Because I know something about her that no one else does. It's about time she kept a secret of mine."

**Cliffhanger! I know you guys love those lol. The ten million fireflies thing is in reference to Owl City's song Fireflies, which is the most awesome song EVER.**

**Anyway, hope you liked this chapter :)  
**


	5. Meeting Macy

**So I've decided Fan Fiction Net has issues. It wasn't letting me sign in and I thought it was going to crash again. Evil thing. Lol.**

**Anyways, hope this makes up for the cliffhanger. Nick's point of view in the beginning. I don't own WOWP or JONAS. Please review! :)**

"Nick! Girls aren't lost puppies. You can't just find one on the street and adopt them," Macy scolded into the phone.

"That's why I need your help. Can't she stay with you for a little while? You could tell your mom she's a friend whose family went on vacation without her on something," I said, my resolve firm. I glanced over at Alex, who was staring out the window with a certain look I recognized: cabin fever. I knew she wasn't some kind of exotic bird to be locked in a cage, but I wished I didn't have to let her go so soon. Not that Macy lived far, but still.

"Why should I do a thing like that?" Macy asked. "I bet you haven't even told your brothers or Stella about her, have you?"

"No I haven't. But you have to do this, Macy. Remember that thing you told me when you were in the hospital?"

I could almost see Macy turning white. "I—I shouldn't have told you that. It was the anesthesia talking. You wouldn't—tell Kevin, would you?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Will you let Alex stay with you?"

I was sure I could hear the wheels turning in Macy's head on the other end. Finally, she sighed and said, "Fine, Nick. I'll keep your lost puppy for you. At least until she's ready to go back home."

I smiled. "Thank you," I told her before hanging up.

"So what did she say?" Alex asked anxiously, turning to face me. Her hand rested on the window, the sun that flooded through the colored glass making it glow with a delicate pink light.

"She said you can stay," I responded.

Alex smiled. She crossed the floor between us and wrapped her arms around my neck. I felt a whole flock of butterflies erupt in my stomach at her touch. "Thank you for your help," she whispered into my shoulder. Without thinking, I leaned down to kiss the top of her head, but she pulled away before I got the chance. "I'm curious, though. What's the big secret you know about this girl?"

"It's nothing, really. Just something to do with her dad. You see, we kind of rescued her from him a while back, and it turns out he was part of some kind of gang. She's afraid his friends are going to come back and do something terrible to me and my brothers since we're the reason he's in jail now."

"Oh." To my surprise, Alex bit her lip, looking worried all of a sudden. "You don't think that will really happen, do you?"

"Nah. They live in Mexico, anyway. And my little brother Frankie's got the Mexican mafia on our side, so I think we're good."

"Excuse me?"

I laughed when Alex tilted her head, looking confused. She really did resemble a puppy at times. "Never mind. It's a long story."

"That's okay, I like long stories," Alex told me with a grin.

***************

I didn't understand what had happened between me and Nick. Why did I trust him so easily? Who knows, he could have turned out to be the psycho. I hadn't realized what Dean leaving had done to me; what the disappearance of my magic had done to me. It had transformed me into a different person, someone vulnerable, dependent, and sensitive. And let me tell you, that side of me was never meant to be seen. But then that night when my magic came back, it was like I was me again. And me wasn't so fond of small attic spaces. Now that my cold was gone and my ankle was healed, it was time to break free.

"Now we're clear, right?" Nick said as he drove me over to Macy's.

I rolled my eyes. "I know, I know. I'm only staying at this girl's house until all of my magic comes back, and then I go home. Even though my entire family will probably kill me when I get there," I said.

"I think they'll be glad to see you again," Nick responded.

"Not my older brother. Justin will probably kill me first just for scaring Mom and Dad."

"Sure you don't want to go back now?"

I thought about it. "I'm sure."

"Don't you feel a little bad for scaring them?"

"Nope. Alex Russo doesn't feel bad for other people. As a rule."

"Aha!"

"Aha what?"

"Russo! You've never told me your last name before."

Curses! That's what I get for talking in third person. Well, I supposed it didn't really matter anymore. I'd have to go back eventually anyway.

"So?"

"So I think it's a nice name."

"Oh. Thanks."

Nick moved his free hand so that it was covering mine on the armrest. There was that weird heart murmur thing from before. I seriously needed to get that checked out.

After what felt like forever, we pulled into a driveway in front of a cheerful yellow thirties-style house. Hmm, figures someone with a name like Macy Misa would live in a place like this. Nick got out and opened the door for me like a gentleman. That was definitely something Dean had never done for me. It felt a little foreign, but not in a bad way. I shouldered my bag and stepped out of the car.

At that moment, a petite girl with her wavy brown hair in ponytails came bouncing out of the house. "Hey there!" She said in a bubbly voice.

"Hey Macy," Nick said amicably, pushing me forward. I didn't say anything, however. There was something odd about the girl, something I couldn't place. But then I saw it. Faded scars scattered over her skin, the ones on her face carefully concealed by makeup, and a faint bruise on her neck. I looked at Nick questioningly. His hard gaze answered mine. _Don't say anything_, it said plainly. I suddenly remembered what he had told me about her dad, and everything clicked.

"Hey. I'm Alex Russo," I introduced myself, regaining my composure.

"Oh I know. It's hard to get Nick to stop talking about you when he gets started. I had to practically hang up on him," Macy said with a little giggle.

I narrowed my eyes at Nick, who cleared his throat nervously and pretended to be fascinated by a pebble near his shoe. Apparently there had been a very interesting phone conversation that I had somehow missed.

"Anyway, come on inside," Macy invited, completely unaware of the awkward silence. Nick and I followed the strange bouncing ball of energy into the house. Inside was very much like the outside; small, but bright and colorful as if to make up for it.

"So this is your friend whose parents are out of town," a dark-haired woman with Macy's narrow brown eyes and high cheekbones said, coming out of the kitchen. She had a friendly smile on her face and was drying her hands on a dishtowel.

"Um, yeah. Mom, this is Alex Russo. Alex, Mom," Macy said.

"Hello Alex," Mrs. Misa greeted.

"Hey," I responded, attempting a smile. "Thanks for letting me stay here."

"No problem, hun," Mrs. Misa told me.

I couldn't help but feel comfortable around the Misas. They were just too nice, which I usually shunned but apparently was in need of at the moment. When Nick saw that I was going to be okay with them, he brushed his lips against my cheek briefly before saying an awkward goodbye and leaving. I watched him pull out of the driveway, a little confused, my fingertips absentmindedly feeling the place where his lips had touched.


	6. Girl Talks and Blackmail

**I hope you don't mind that I keep switching perspectives. I just can't pick my favorite one lol. Sometimes I want to be dramatic and sometimes funny, and that can be accomplished best from certain point of views.**

**I don't own WOWP or JONAS. Please review :)  
**

"Come on, Alex. I'll show you where your room is," Macy said cheerfully, grabbing my hand and pulling me up the stairs. If my mind hadn't been preoccupied I would have strongly protested against being hauled around against my will.

We walked into a room that was painted cool green and contained white furniture, including a sturdy bed with a chocolate brown comforter. The mocha-brown curtains on the window matched the bedspread exactly. I assumed it was a guest room, considering the neutral colors.

"So Nick has a thing for you, huh?" Macy asked, a mischievous smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

"What? No, he's just my friend," I replied, startled.

"Uh-huh. Sure." Macy wasn't easily convinced.

"I mean it! He's just…someone who helped me out," I said, but I realized I was fighting a losing battle. I wasn't even good at convincing myself.

Macy gave me a knowing look and sat down on the bed. "I've known the Lucases for a while now, and I've never seen Nick like this before. Usually he just gets little crushes on random girls that last for a week tops. But this time…I think he's really fallen hard."

I had an internal battle on whether to sit down beside her or not and get into the conversation. I hadn't had a good girl talk since Harper went on vacation, but I barely knew this girl. Still, it wasn't as if it could hurt…

"Okay, let's say, hypothetically, that Nick does like me. And maybe I like him. But I'm going home soon, so why would it matter?" I asked, resigning myself to perching on the footboard.

Macy's eyes were sparkling. "Apparently you don't know these Lucas brothers too well. If they really like a girl, they don't care about distance. I mean, I was seventeen thousand miles away in Mexico and Kevin came all that way just to find me," she said.

"Yeah, Nick told me about that. It sounds a little crazy though."

"Well it kind of was. But I'm glad they did it. I mean, it did sort of help that they happened to be touring Mexico at the time—"

"Touring?"

Macy stared at me in shock. "Yeah. Don't you know who JONAS is?"

"It's some kind of band, right?" I knew I'd heard the name somewhere, but I wasn't exactly into that kind of music to know much about them.

I was positive Macy's jaw was about to hit the floor. "We have a _lot_ to discuss," she decided.

****************

"Still sulking about that girl who until recently was living in our attic?"

Nick jumped and looked up, his heart beating faster. "What are you talking about, Frankie?"

Frankie sat on the coffee table facing his brother and crossed his arms. "I know everything, bro. Do you really think I'd miss that?"

Nick looked at him suspiciously. "If you knew, then why didn't you tell anyone?" He asked.

"And miss a good blackmail opportunity? Perish the thought."

Nick sighed. "Okay, what do you want, Frankster? We already let you perform with us on stage. And I am not _ever _wearing that lame alien suit again_._"

"Astronaut suit. And for the record, it was cool," Frankie corrected. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I think I'll save this one for later when I need something. But remember, the Frankster doesn't forget." Frankie pointed two fingers at his eyes and then at Nick before leaving the room.

Nick exhaled in relief, waiting for his heartbeat to return to normal. He wanted to see Alex again so badly, get a chance to hold her in his arms when she wasn't unconscious, but it had only been a day and he knew that even the kiss on the cheek had been a bit unusual. It wasn't time.

Well, if he couldn't see her, he could at least write a song about her. Maybe he could play it for her the next time he actually saw her in person. He didn't think it would have the right effect over the phone.

Humming excitedly, Nick ran upstairs to where his guitar was waiting, not noticing that Kevin and Joe were watching him from the landing.

"I'm telling you, two more weeks and he'll be over it," Joe said.

"I don't know, Joe. It looks like he's got it bad this time. Anyways, you gave me and Macy two weeks too, and how long has it been?"

Joe mumbled nonsensically and avoided eye contact.

"Two months, three days, and forty-five minutes," Kevin announced with a dreamy look on his face.

Joe rolled his eyes. "I just really want to know who it is," he said.

"Honestly, Joe, you've been hanging around Stella too long," Kevin remarked.

Joe's face lit up. "Stella! Maybe she could find out who Nick's gone all goo-goo-eyed over."

"Probably, but we shouldn't bring in Stella just yet. Nick scares easy."

"Fine, but you know how I am with suspense. If we don't find out in three days, I'm calling Stella. Deal?"

"Deal."


	7. Meant to be Broken

**Yes, apparently I can't wait a whole day to update lol. This one's a little longer and slightly more interesting**, **or so I hope.**

**I don't own WOWP or JONAS. Please review :)  
**

Juliet stood atop a building in New Jersey, staring down at the bustling street below. The cool night air blew her long gold hair away from her face, and she sniffed at it, searching for something.

It was faint, but it was there. The scent she had been unable to find for the past couple of days: brick and pine needle. She smiled and took off, going into a steep dive before pulling up in bat form.

The farther east she flew, the stronger the smell became. It led her to a squat yellow house in suburbia. Considering it was three thirty in the morning, no one was awake inside. The pine/brick aroma was practically pouring from one of the upstairs windows, which happened to be cracked open slightly. Juliet landed nimbly on the windowsill and pushed open the sash all the way. She leapt through the opening, landed catlike on the carpet, and looked around. There was a bed in the corner of the room with someone asleep in it. All Juliet could see was a mop of dark hair partially covered by the comforter, but she didn't need to see her face to know who it was.

"Alex!" Juliet whispered, prodding her shoulder.

Alex woke up with a startled squeak and fell out of bed. "Macy! I told you, I do not want to do morning yoga with you!" She said, annoyed. But once she untangled herself from her covers and saw who it was, her mood changed. "Juliet! What are you doing here?" She asked in a low voice.

"I could ask you the same thing," Juliet replied. "Don't you know that your family's worried sick about you? Justin hasn't been the same since you left! He thinks it's his fault you ran away."

"Justin's worried about me?" Alex said, dumbfounded.

"Of course he is. He feels since he's the older sibling that it's his job to protect you," Juliet said.

"Oh."

"What'd you think, that he'd be mad at you or something?"

"Kind of."

"Well he's not. No one is. They've been too upset about you disappearing without a trace."

"I didn't know they cared that much."

"Alex, you're their family. And family cares a lot about family. I only wish mine had what yours does," Juliet said, a little wistfully.

"I thought you guys got along pretty well," Alex remarked.

"Well we do, and we all love each other, but it's different when you're the only one with a soul," Juliet told her. "If I were to run away, my parents wouldn't mind. 'She'll be back in a week or a century tops. She's a vampire, she can take care of herself,' they'd probably say." The girl sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I never thought about that." Alex wrapped herself in the comforter and sat next to her brother's girlfriend.

"Yeah, well, it's really not that bad. I just want you to realize what you have," Juliet said.

"I realize it now."

"So will you come back with me?"

Alex bit her lip. Something inside her—she hesitated to call it 'conscience' because she wasn't exactly sure she had one—told her it was time to face the music. But it was going to be difficult. "Yeah, I guess I should. But I want to say goodbye to my friend Macy first. And…someone else."

"Okay, but hurry up. I can only travel at night, and there's not much of it left," Juliet said, glancing at the window.

*******************

I woke up to the sound of my cell phone vibrating under my pillow. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and squinted at the screen. The name I saw on it made me smile.

"Hey Alex. Why are you calling so late?" I asked, whispering so my brothers wouldn't hear. Not like they could; both slept like rocks and snored like freight trains, but just to be safe.

"I'm going home, Nick."

I shot up, nearly falling off the side of my bed. I thought I had more time. "What, right now?"

"Yeah."

"But you can't leave yet! I—I wrote a song for you." Is it possible to be able to hear a smile? At that moment I'm pretty sure it was.

"I'm sure it's beautiful, but I don't have that much time. I'm waiting in the alley behind your house if you want to say goodbye," Alex told me.

"I'll be right down." I hung up the phone and jumped out of bed. Completely forgetting about shoes, I grabbed my guitar and ran downstairs as quietly as I could. It didn't really help that the firehouse was decades old and creaked all over, but since no one was chasing me down with a baseball bat yet I took it as a good sign.

Alex was standing in shadows of the alley with another girl I'd never seen before. When she saw me, she arched her eyebrows knowingly and said, "I'll be circling the block to make sure you're not bothered. Call me when you're ready, okay?"

Alex nodded. I had no idea what the strange girl was talking about, but it didn't matter now that I had Alex to myself.

"Don't you think your parents might hear if you play that?" Alex asked with an amused expression, indicating the guitar in my hand.

"Well considering they're very heavy sleepers and it's a pretty quiet song, I think it'll be okay."

I didn't give Alex a chance to protest. Balancing the Gibson Hummingbird on my knee, I plucked out the tune. "Lost in a sea of darkness last night, didn't know I was till you fell from the sky…"

By the time I finished, Alex was speechless. I didn't know whether to be glad or worried. I'd just poured all my feelings into that song and realized there was a possibility she didn't feel the same way.

"Wow, Nick. That was...wow. I guess I was wrong when I said that wasn't my type of music," she said softly. Despite the gloom of the alleyway, her eyes somehow managed the sparkle with that inner light I loved so much.

Now there's something you should know about me. I'm called 'the serious one' for a reason. I'm not really spontaneous, like Joe, or carefree, like Kevin. And I don't just randomly kiss a girl in an alley at four in the morning. As a rule.

But I guess rules were meant to be broken.

**By the way, that part of the song that Nick sings I just made up on the spot. I didn't really feel like stealing another one lol. Hope you liked it :)**


	8. Goodbye and Hello

**Okay, so I didn't want to leave you guys hanging, so here's the next chapter. Longest one yet :)  
**

**I don't own WOWP or JONAS. Please review :)  
**

Funny; I'm usually the one who does things on a whim, whether they turn out for the better or not. But not tonight. A wave of numbness crashed over me as Nick's lips pressed into mine, and I had to lean back against the brick wall to keep my knees from buckling. All of my past troubles instantly disappeared, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of one of his hands weaving through my hair to support the back of my head, the other arm encircling my waist. I hadn't felt this way before about anyone, and I was starting to wonder if you really could fall in love with someone after knowing them for only a few weeks.

"Nicholas Jerry Lucas!"

We immediately pulled apart as the light flickered on, both red in the face. Nick's mom and dad were standing on the back steps, not looking very pleased. One of Nick's brothers—my favorite, Frankie, because he seemed a lot like me in certain ways—was standing behind them, grinning. Joe popped into a view a second later, sporting a severe case of bedhead.

"Kevin! Come quick! Nick's mystery girl's here and Mom and Dad are about to murder him!" Joe called excitedly.

Kevin appeared seconds later, wearing teddy-bear patterned PJs and a matching night cap. "Cool!" He said.

"Hey...guys," Nick said nervously. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "This is Alex."

"Hello, everyone. Hey Frankie," I said with a weak smile.

"Wait, you know Frankie?" Nick asked in surprise.

"Of course. Who doesn't?"

"Nick, do you know what time it is?" Mrs. Lucas questioned, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm really sorry, Mom, but I just wanted to say goodbye to Alex before she left, and this was the only time to do it," Nick apologized.

"Speaking of which, I really do need to go now," I spoke up. I could hear Juliet's wing beats coming closer, and I figured it would be worse if the first encounter the Lucases had with me involved a vampire landing in front of them.

Nick gave me a quick squeeze and kissed the top of my head. "I love you," he said softly before releasing me.

"I love you too," I replied, surprising myself. I put my hand behind my back, and a folded piece of paper with my cell number on it magically appeared in my palm. I tucked it into his hand. "Call me as soon as you can. It might be a while before I can talk, though, if my parents decide to ground me," I told him.

"Same here," Nick said, glancing at his parents, who were still glaring at him.

I took this as a good time to slip away into the darkness.

"Come on, son. You have a lot of explaining to do," I faintly heard Mr. Lucas say as I picked up speed.

"Wait till he gets to the part where he hid her in our attic," Frankie offered in an innocently sweet voice.

Whatever explosion followed I thankfully missed, because Juliet was suddenly running soundlessly beside me.

"Nice boy," she said, smiling as we continued to thread through the maze of alleys.

"Okay, Juliet, I've had enough teasing over the past couple of days," I replied, trying to keep from tripping over things as I ran. It still amazed me how she was able to avoid every object, her feet barely even making a thud as they touched the pavement.

"Spoilsport," Juliet said. "Are you ready to go?" She asked, holding out her hand.

I looked at it warily. "Couldn't you have brought the flying carpet or something?"

Juliet laughed. "Have you ever seen a bat carrying a carpet ten times its size on its back?" She asked.

I grumbled in reply and reluctantly took her hand. I'm pretty sure I left my stomach on the ground as we shot into the air, Juliet dragging me effortlessly along with her.

You remember that no-hauling-Alex rule? Apparently no one has ever bothered to read my rulebook. Joy.

************

Justin awoke early that morning; around five twenty. The sun wasn't even up yet. He tried to figure out what had pulled him out of his fitful sleep. After a moment of thought he decided it had been a noise, almost imperceptible. Something very much like a window opening.

He frantically looked around his room for something to use as a weapon. There was an unfortunate lack of baseball bats—Alex had hid them every time he got a new one just to make him feel like he was going crazy—so he settled on a heavy Calculus textbook. It may not have looked very dangerous, but one shouldn't underestimate the power—or rather weight—of nine hundred pages chock full of hardcore math.

Holding the book aloft, Justin snuck out of his room. He paused in the hall and listened. There was another thud, a little louder this time, like someone's feet making contact with the floor. It was coming from Alex's room. Gulping, Justin turned the knob and pushed open the door.

"Really, Justin? You were going to beat me down with a _textbook_?"

"Alex?"

Justin dropped his weapon, ignoring the sound it made when it hit the carpet. He ran and enveloped his sister in a bone-crunching hug, lifting her off the ground. "Alex! It really is you! You're alive!"

"Well I might not be much longer if you don't let go," Alex gasped.

"Sorry! It's just—I thought you might be…you know," Justin said, pulling away.

"What, you really thought I was dead?" Alex laughed. But then she noticed the look on his face. "Oh wow you did," she said.

"Of course I thought it was a possibility. You know how people are always going missing on the news and they're found at the bottom of a lake a month later?"

"Justin, you watch way too much of the news. I mean, I'm a wizard. And your little sister. I can fend for myself," Alex reminded him, giving him a comforting squeeze.

"Well it would be surprising. If you were kidnapped it's more likely they'd find the person who did it at the bottom of a lake instead of you," Justin mused. "Then what happened to you? And how'd you get back here?"

Alex looked down at her toes. "I kinda ran away. After what happened with Dean and my magic blacking out—"

"Wait, you lost your magic?"

"For a little while, but it's back now."

"But that's not a very common thing. You'd have to be under severe emotional stress to—"

"Would you mind letting me finish?"

"Sorry."

"Thank you." Alex cleared her throat and continued. "I was pretty stressed out. I felt like everyone was ignoring me, and I couldn't take it anymore. So I took a bus to Wyckoff, New Jersey."

"New Jersey?!"

"Yeah. Anyway, sorta got into some trouble there, but this really nice guy helped me out and took me in for a little while—"

"Wait, _guy?_"

Alex sighed, recognizing the shift into big brother mode. "It was fine, Justin. He let me stay in the attic. Which is on a whole different floor from his room, by the way," she pointed out.

"So you stayed with some random guy, who could very well have been an axe murderer or worse, for the past month?"

Alex could tell Justin was on the edge of freaking out and decided to hurry up her story a bit. "Not the whole month. I stayed with his brother's girlfriend half the time, until Juliet found me and brought me home."

"Okay, am I the only one who knows about all the insane people who are loose in the world?" Justin asked, starting to get a little hysterical. If he hadn't woken up the rest of the house already, he would soon.

"No, and you're one of them. Now will you calm down? Nick Lucas is _not_ an axe murderer," Alex hissed.

Justin was in shock now. "Nick Lucas? As in that kid from JONAS?"

"What, is that your favorite band or something?" Alex shot back.

"Not anymore," Justin muttered.

"What is going on in here?"

Jerry and Theresa Russo suddenly walked in, Jerry holding a baseball bat in his hands. Alex assumed that he must have discovered her favorite hiding place for Justin's bats: under her parents' bed.

"Alex!" Theresa exclaimed when she noticed who Justin had been talking to.

Justin's hug had been nothing compared to what Alex got from her parents. Especially when Max came in, saw the reunion, and decided an aerial assault tackle was the best way to welcome her home.

"Can't breathe here!" Alex finally shouted.

"Sorry, honey. We were just so worried about you," Jerry told her.

"Where have you been all this time? You had us scared sick," Theresa said, placing her hands on her hips and looking very much like Mrs. Lucas had only an hour before.

"I know, and I'm really sorry about everything. I missed you guys more than I thought I would. But can we talk about this later? I'm pretty tired," Alex responded before she was bombarded by questions. It had been a rather long night.

Now, in a normal situation, Jerry and Theresa probably wouldn't have been so lenient. But it was five fifty in the morning, and most of them had been thinking Alex was dead, so a few more hours of not knowing every detail didn't seem so bad considering she was actually home.

"All right, Alex. We all probably need a little more sleep anyway. We'll talk about this when the sun comes up," Theresa announced.

"Okay. Night, Mom. Night Dad," Alex said, relieved.

"Good night, baby girl," Jerry said, giving his daughter one last hug before following his wife back to their bedroom.

Max stood in the center of the room for a little while, a serious expression on his face, before saying, "So I guess this means I _don't_ get to turn Alex's room into a bowling alley, right?"

**So I was wondering if I should keep this going. Votes?**


	9. Seeing Her Again

**Back by popular demand, a new--and longer--chapter. I have big plans for the next part that's coming up :)**

"So how long's he been like this?" Stella asked.

"About four days. As long as he's been grounded from the phone." Joe replied, shaking his head.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad weren't too happy about him hiding a fugitive in the attic without their permission," Kevin said.

"I still can't believe he kept her a secret from me. Me! Even Macy knew about her. How did I miss this?" Stella asked.

"Maybe because you were a little too busy with a certain someone?" Joe said with a grin.

"Nah, that can't be it," Stella replied, placing a finger on her cheek thoughtfully. Joe didn't look too happy all of a sudden.

"Poor guy. If Mom and Dad didn't let me talk to Macy, I don't know what I'd do," Kevin said. "Well, I'd probably just run down the block and see her…but still."

"Not helping," Nick mumbled. He was lying on his bed, his face buried in his pillow. His parents had banned the use of his cell phone until the week was over, and he was pretty sure he was dying inside.

"You could hang out with your favorite brothers instead," Joe suggested.

No response.

"Come on, Nick." Joe poked him. Nick still didn't budge. Joe sighed dramatically. "Well I suppose I'm just going to have to finish the last of the strawberry ice cream _all by myself_," he said.

"Wow, this is bad. The Nick I know would attack you before you could even lay a finger on the strawberry ice cream. It's his favorite," Kevin said.

"You're right." Joe poked Nick again. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?" He demanded.

"Come on, guys. He'll be fine when Saturday rolls around and he can finally call Alex," Stella told them.

"Fine," Kevin sighed. "Macy and I have plans to go rollerblading today anyway."

"Dude, you know you're going to kill yourself, right? You've never even ridden a skateboard before," Joe said as he and Stella followed Kevin towards the poles.

"Well I figured I can find some with training wheels on them or something," Kevin replied.

Joe fought to keep a straight face as he said, "Alright. Good luck with that."

When their voices finally faded away into nothingness, Nick rolled over and stared at the ceiling. He hadn't realized how bad it would hurt when Alex left. Somehow she had become a part of him, and all he could think about was the way her eyes glowed and how her smile made him melt. He even loved the fact that she was a wizard, and wished he was sitting on the bed with her in the attic again, surrounded by those fireflies. The rest of his family didn't understand. They couldn't. Only he knew that this wasn't just a crush. Love was a powerful word, but it was the only one that applied to how his heart felt.

******************

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

"What?" Alex shook herself out of her daydream, the one involving her and Nick in the alleyway, and found herself staring at Justin from across the Sub Station's counter.

"It's been four days, and you haven't pranked or made fun of me once. Not even when I had the Alien Language Club over here last night!" Justin said. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me," Alex responded, although she couldn't help from grinning.

Justin looked at her suspiciously. "This doesn't have something to do with that Lucas punk, does it?"

"Hmm," was all Alex said before walking off, lost in her daydream again. Her brother just stared after her in disbelief.

"Hey you," Juliet greeted, waltzing up behind Justin and kissing his cheek.

"Juliet, I think Alex is in love," Justin said, slightly stunned.

"Of course she is. Or at least I assume so, considering the way she kissed that Nick Lucas boy before she left New Jersey," Juliet responded.

"Wait, she actually _kissed _him? How do you know that?" Justin asked, whipping around to face her.

"Vampires have pretty extraordinary eyesight---don't ever believe that 'blind as a bat' rumor. So not true. I was like twenty feet above them, but there was no way I missed that," Juliet said.

"And you didn't bother breaking it up?"

"Justin, you're going to have to let her grow up eventually. She can't be your baby sister forever."

Justin heaved a sigh. "I know, it's just anything could have happened to her in New Jersey. And there's nothing I could do about it."

"You worry too much. But I think it's cute." Juliet smiled and kissed him again.

"You're just saying that," Justin said, but her kiss had done the trick. Maybe he had been a little overprotective with Alex. Maybe, just maybe, Nick Lucas wasn't so bad of a guy.

That opinion, however, was subject to change. Justin wasn't ready for another Dean to come along and break his sister's heart again.

********************

"It's Saturday!"

"I didn't steal the carousel!" Kevin shouted, still half-asleep.

Joe groaned and looked at the digital alarm clock by his bed. "For goodness sake, Nick. It's one o'clock in the morning," he complained.

"So? It's still Saturday!" Nick said excitedly. He jumped out of bed and slid down the pole, in too much of a hurry to take the stairs. He ran to the kitchen, threw open a drawer, and grabbed his phone, which looked so shiny and beautiful after a week of disuse.

"You know Mom and Dad will kill you for calling someone this late," Joe mumbled from the depths of his pillow when Nick reappeared.

"I just want to say hello," Nick responded, continuing up to the stairs to the attic. When he got there, he shut the door quietly behind him and dialed the number he now knew by heart.

*********************

I awoke with a start to the sound of my cell phone vibrating loudly on my bedside table. I squinted at the clock, grumbling when I saw that it was one in the morning, and reached for the phone.

"Hello?" I said scratchily; my sleepy voice is not a pretty thing to hear, let me tell you.

"Alex?"

My mood instantly changed when I recognized the voice.

"Nick? What are you doing calling so late?" I asked, sitting up and pushing my hair out of my face.

My parents said I could call you Saturday. And technically it is," Nick answered, sounding a little sheepish. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," I told him, smiling.

"How'd things go with your parents?" Nick asked.

"Better than I thought, actually. I mean, I got a lecture on the dangers of the world—from Mom and Dad first and then Justin—but I guessed they were more worried about me than mad. How about you?"

"Well they weren't too happy about you living in our house without their permission. But grounded for a week isn't as bad as it could have been."

There was a certain wistfulness in his voice, however, that told me that four days without calling had been torture for him. I know it had been for me.

"I just wish I could see you again," I said, unable to keep the longing out of my voice.

"How about I drive over there to see you tomorrow? I mean, when it's actually light out," Nick asked, laughing.

My heart skipped a beat. "Are you sure your parents would let you do that? It's almost an hour away, after all. And I've only just begun to realize how popular you guys are in New York City," I said.

"I can bring Kevin with me. They usually don't mind if I'm with one of my brothers," Nick replied, sounding more and more excited as the plan unfolded in his mind. "What's your address? I can probably get there using Mapquest."

I told him and then said, "Okay then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Can't wait. Oh and Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

I smiled, a sudden warmth spreading through my body. "Love you too," I replied sincerely before hanging up. I hugged the phone to my chest and closed my eyes, falling asleep with a smile on my sleep. If all went well, Nick would be here in a few hours. I couldn't wait to see the look on Justin's face when he showed up.

***********************

It took some convincing, but Mom and Dad finally let me go to New York. Unfortunately we couldn't bring my Mustang; we went in Kevin's Toyota Yaris, which was deemed 'more safe' than my '69 Cobra. I didn't care. I would have worn bubble wrap if it meant I got to see Alex again.

Due to my impatience, we got into New York around ten thirty. Even then we were a little late by my watch, the reason being that Mapquest is an evil thing.

"Okay, would someone mind telling Mapquest that there is a difference between a road and a deer trail?" Kevin said, getting out to check the bottom of his car.

"Hey, at least we made it," I said, my attention focused on the street before me. A nearby sign indicated that it was Waverly Place. I started heading down it, but Kevin grabbed the back of my shirt.

"Whoa there, lover boy. You forgot about your disguise," he said, holding a pair of sunglasses and a fake mustache out to me.

"Okay I'll wear the sunglasses, but not the mustache. No one could be fooled by that," I said, grabbing the shades.

"Ha! That's what you think," Kevin said. He donned a plaid hat, his own pair of sunglasses, and the fake mustache. I rolled my eyes and walked ahead of him, hoping not too many people were staring.

I scanned the storefronts along Waverly Place until I found the one I was looking for; Waverly Place Sub Station. "This is it," I said to Kevin, unable to contain my excitement.

"Finally. I'm starving," Kevin said, almost as excited as I was. Truth was, the only reason he came along was because I told him Alex's family owned a sandwich shop.

Since it was before lunch rush, the place was pretty empty. The only occupants were a teenage boy behind the counter and an old man drinking coffee and reading a newspaper in the corner.

"Hey, I'm looking for Alex Russo," I said, approaching the counter.

The dark-haired boy looked at me and then Kevin, who was trying to study the menu through his very dark shades, with a raised eyebrow. "And you are?" He asked.

I took off my sunglasses, figuring we were probably safe from a fangirl attack. "Nick Lucas," I said, holding my hand so he could shake it.

The boy crossed his arms and stared at me with a none-too-friendly expression.

I retracted my hand and coughed nervously. "Um, and you would be?"

"Justin Russo. Alex's brother."

Oops. I remembered what Alex had said about Justin being protective and guessed he probably wasn't too fond of me right now, especially after what had happened with this Dean jerk.

"So, do you know where she is?" I asked, trying to be as polite as was possible.

"Actually, I don't think she's home right now," Justin responded frostily. He glanced over at Kevin, who was stroking the end of his fake mustache. "Are you here to see my sister too?"

"Nah, I just came for the sandwiches. Do you have anything with pastrami and tuna on it together?" Kevin asked.

"Actually, we do. It's my favorite. Strangely enough, no one ever gets it," Justin replied. Apparently he decided Kevin wasn't a threat; his tone was civil.

"Awesome! My mom's the only other person who makes them that way," Kevin said, grinning.

"Nick!"

There was a dark-haired blur, and without warning Alex launched herself into my arms. I stumbled backwards a little but quickly regained my balance. Holding her to me, I laid my cheek against her vanilla-scented hair and said, "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I think I might," Alex replied, kissing me.

I forgot entirely about Justin, Kevin, and the old man in the corner. A tingling feeling shot through my veins as Alex wrapped her arms around my neck, her fingers tangling themselves in my curls. I traced my fingers along her jaw line and pulled her closer, idly wondering why fireworks were going off around me. Apparently it wasn't that important, because I just went right on kissing her.

"Ahem! Alex!"

Alex pulled away reluctantly to look at her brother. "What?" She asked, entwining her fingers in mine. I was too busy marveling over how they fit together so perfectly to be bothered by Justin's glare.

"Do you mind not doing that in public?" Justin asked.

"Yeah it is slightly disturbing," Kevin remarked, blowing his mustache away from his mouth so he could bite into his sandwich. "Excellent sandwich, by the way. Is that mayo in there?"

"And sundried tomatoes," Justin said proudly, momentarily distracted.

"Oh, like you and Juliet don't kiss for the world to see," Alex retorted, crossing her arms. I felt a slight loss of self in the small moment when she released my hand.

"Actually, we don't," Justin said, crossing his arms as well. They looked like two little kids having a staring contest.

"Wow, nice comeback. Come on, Nick, I want you to meet my parents," Alex said.

"Okay," I replied. This kind of suggestion should have scared me, but the feeling of Alex's hand in mine again distracted me.

"Little siblings. They grow up so fast," Kevin said as we headed up the spiral staircase, shaking his head knowingly.

"You're telling me," Justin responded, a little sadly. For a second I saw the situation through his eyes and felt a bit sorry for him.

**I'm totally not into the Jalex thing (they're blood for goodness sake, people). Although I don't mind those stories where they're not related. Anyways, in my stories I prefer Justin to just be very protective of his sister, because I wish I had an older brother looking out for me like that. Even if it was slightly annoying lol. He could, like, beat up creepers for me haha :D**


	10. Danger

**Okay so I'm getting my laptop fixed tomorrow because it's been making a weird noise and getting really hot, so I won't be able to update for a while. That's why I'm posting this so soon. Sorry it's not as long as the last chapter, but I think it's still a decent amount :)**

**I don't own WOWP or JONAS. Please review! :)**

"It's nice to meet you, Nicholas. Thanks for taking care of our daughter while she was—missing," Theresa said with a smile.

Jerry just grunted. His attention had been focused on Nick and Alex's joined hands the second they entered the Russo living room. Theresa elbowed him in the gut.

"I mean, yeah, thanks," Jerry said, attempting a pleasant grin. His wife rolled his eyes.

"Hey, why didn't anyone tell me Alex's boyfriend was here?" Max asked, suddenly appearing on the spiral staircase.

"Because I didn't need you scaring him off," Alex told him plainly.

"Hi. I'm Nick Lucas," Nick said, introducing himself.

"This is my little brother, Max," Alex said. "He's harmless, but he gets a little lost sometimes. So if he says something out of the ordinary, just ignore it," she whispered to Nick.

Max was staring at Nick with a look of intense concentration on his face. "You look kind of familiar. Aren't you on a lunchbox or something?"

"Um, I guess," Nick replied. JONAS memorabilia was everywhere, so this wasn't too surprising.

"Thought so." Max smiled, pleased he had figured it out. "Well sorry I can't stick around. I'm going to go test my new cable antenna on the roof." He held up a bent, rusty hanger proudly.

Nick started to say something, but Alex cut him off. "Just let him go. He'll figure it out eventually," she said.

"Sorry, Alex, but we have to go too. Rush hour and all," Theresa said, grabbing her apron.

"Just remember, we're right downstairs," Jerry said, giving Nick a particularly hard look before descending the spiral staircase.

"So what did you think of them?" Alex asked expectantly when they were gone.

"They're pretty cool," Nick said truthfully. "Are they all wizards?" He asked.

"Nope. Mom's a mortal and Dad became one when he married her—wizards can't marry mortals and keep their powers—so just me, Justin, and Max are," Alex answered.

"So if you were to marry me—in theory—you'd lose your magic?"

Alex blushed. "Yeah, I guess. But it doesn't really matter because when the three of us gets older, only one of us gets to keep our powers. Some stupid wizard law," she said, quick to change the subject. Not that she minded the thought of marrying Nick. It was just a little awkward at the moment.

"So…what do you want to do? I'm yours for the day," Nick told her.

Alex thought about this. "How about a movie?"

"In the daytime? I don't know," Nick replied, frowning. It was sort of tradition for him to watch movies in the evening, something about seeing the screen better.

"Oh I can fix that," Alex said with a smile. She pulled her wand out of her boot and said a spell. Darkness instantly fell outside the windows, the only light coming from the lamps on either side of the couch. "What? Solar eclipses in the middle of the day aren't that unusual," Alex remarked, noting Nick's dumbfounded expression.

"Magic never ceases to amaze me," Nick said in awe.

"I know, right?" Alex said, enjoying his reaction.

The couple ended up on the couch together, watching the latest Harry Potter movie. Alex didn't even comment on how they did everything wrong in it like she usually did; all she could think about was Nick. She was lying on his chest, his arm wrapped around her and his chin on her forehead. Every once and a while his free hand would come up and brush her hair out of her eyes, making her skin tingle with warmth where his fingertips touched it. Alex found her eyelids drooping, and soon enough she was asleep, curled up comfortably against him.

**********************

"Nick! Nick! Nick!"

Nick and Alex awoke with a start an hour later to Kevin's distressed cries. The eldest JONAS member stumbled into the room, his disguise falling off in his wake. Justin was right behind him, looking just as confused.

"Hey, what's been going on up here?" Justin asked, narrowing his eyes at the two on the couch.

It was then that Alex noticed why Justin was looking at them funny. She untangled herself from Nick and waved her hand at the windows. In an instant the sunlight returned, shining cheerfully as if nothing had happened. "What's wrong, Kevin?" She asked, deciding that focusing on Kevin's problem was the best way to distract her brother.

"I just got a call from Joe. It's Macy's dad," Kevin said, his voice breaking.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. Nick bolted up like a shot, his face serious and a little fearful.

"You mean that psychopath who tried to kill Kevin's girlfriend broke out of jail?" Alex asked, confused.

"Wait, what psychopath?" Justin asked, totally out of the loop.

"Kevin's girlfriend's abusive dad. Keep up, Justin," Alex said.

"Worse." Kevin gulped. "Joe was saying something about a bunch of thugs who were friends of his showing up. Then there was a loud crash, and the line went dead."

Nick looked at Alex with wide eyes. "Macy was right."

"What?" Kevin asked.

"She said her dad was part of some kind of gang. She was afraid they'd try to get revenge for what we did to Mr. Misa," Nick explained.

"What about Frankie? You said something about Mexican mafia connections," Alex said to Nick.

"I didn't get a chance to ask," Kevin said anxiously.

"So what are we supposed to do? We're in New York City. They're in Wyckoff. Who knows what we'd come back to find," Nick said.

"Justin," Alex said, turning her pleading eyes on him.

"No, Alex. We can't," Justin said, his eyes flicking warily between the two Lucas brothers.

"Please, Justin? It would only take a second for us." Alex put on one of her most convincing puppy dog pouts.

"Don't even try that," Justin said, trying his best to avoid the face she was giving him.

"Come on, Justin. Nick already knows, and I'm sure Kevin would think it was neat," Alex said.

"What do you mean, Nick already knows? You _told_ him?" Justin asked, trying to keep his voice low.

"Well, actually, he kinda…found out," Alex replied with an apologetic shrug.

Justin sighed in exasperation. "Okay, Alex. But we have to tell Mom and Dad something first."

"We can just tell them we're going to show the Lucases around New York City," Alex suggested quickly.

"It bothers me slightly how fast you come up with this stuff, but okay. But I'm only doing this because the possibility of lives being at stake," Justin told her.

"And because you love me, right?" Alex said with a grin.

"Yeah we'll see about that," Justin responded, ruffling her hair.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Nick asked, a little confused.

"We're going to New Jersey the express way," Alex responded. "Take my hand."

Nick did so a little apprehensively, but he trusted her. "Come on, Kevin," he said, holding out his other hand.

Kevin stared at it. "Why?" He asked slowly.

"Look, do you want to save Macy or not?" Nick questioned urgently.

Kevin didn't hesitate this time. Justin took his place on the other side of Alex, clasping her hand in his, and pulled out his wand.

"To save a life or three or four, take us to the Lucases' door," he said. There was a nauseating moment where the world swirled dizzily around them, and the Lucas brothers and the Russos suddenly found themselves standing right outside the firehouse.

"Okay I don't know what just happened, but that was AWESOME!" Kevin said, momentarily forgetting about the gravity of the situation.

He wasn't distracted for long, however. As if to reflect the mood, dark storm clouds had crowded the once-blue sky, thundering ominously. The dread that filled the air was all too familiar to Nick and Kevin. It didn't really help that the front door was wide open.

"Come on," Alex said authoritatively, racing inside.

"Alex, wait!" Justin yelled, following her. For all he knew, she could be running right into the arms of the enemy.

The teenagers combed the entire house, calling out the names of each family member and even Macy and Stella, but they received no answer. The Lucas residence appeared to be abandoned, and the empty silence that filled it only scared them more.

"Macy's house!" Kevin announced all of a sudden. Not bothering to give an explanation, he slid down the pole and dashed out the door, leaving the others no choice but to follow.

"Kevin, slow down!" Nick called between breaths, trying to figure out exactly when his older brother had become a marathon runner. Then again, it was surprising the things you could do when someone you loved was in danger.

By the time they reached the little yellow house, the wind was whipping the trees into unnatural shapes, and a steady rain was falling. Kevin slammed into the door. It offered very little resistance, smashing into the wall and shaking the house.

What they all saw stopped them dead in their tracks.


	11. Unexplainable Bond

**My laptop's back! Yay! No longer is it pretending to be a noisemaker and miniature oven, which is totally awesome. I'm not used to the quietness yet lol.**

**Anyways, sorry this took so long. I promise I didn't leave forever lol. Oh and sorry about the cliffhanger; couldn't help myself. But this chapter is pretty long, so that should make up for it somewhat :)**

**I don't own WOWP or JONAS. Please review :)  
**

"Ah, the rest of the famous brothers. And some stragglers. So nice of you to join us," a burly man with stone-cold black eyes said, revealing a display of rotting teeth. He had something that looked all too much like a machine gun aimed at the people in the center of the room; Mrs. Misa, Macy, Joe, and Stella. Macy was lying in her mother's arms, unconscious, blood flowing from a bullet wound in her arm that Stella was attempting to stem with her sweater. Both Mrs. Misa had their own shares of bruises and cuts and had tears streaming down their cheeks. A black-eyed Joe had spread himself in front of them in an effort to shield them from more harm.

"Where's Mom and Dad? And Frankie?" Nick asked, trying to recover from the initial shock. He had his arm out to hold Kevin back, who looked ready to kill every one of the five intruders in the room.

"At Frankie's baseball game. The Big Man's there too," Joe replied.

"And _why_ didn't you call the police?" Nick hissed.

"Think about it, Nick. Do I e_ver_ think before I act?" Joe answered.

"He does have a point there," Kevin said, still struggling to get past Nick.

"Oh, hey, Alex. Nice to see you again," Joe said, suddenly noticing the people standing behind his brothers.

"Sorry to break up this little reunion, but we have a job to finish here," the man with the gun interrupted.

"Yeah, so do we," Alex spoke up, moving to the front of the group. Nick's other hand shot out and grabbed her arm tightly to keep her from advancing further.

The man looked at her with an amused expression. "And who are you supposed to be?" He asked.

"Your worst nightmare," Alex responded boldly. Her words were met with a loud guffaw.

"Well, she did warn you," Justin said, joining his sister. They looked at each other, and for a second Nick saw the sparks of magic reflecting in their eyes. They raised their hands together, their palms glowing with that same golden light. Without warning, every light and lamp in the room exploded, glass shattering everywhere. The thugs cried out in surprise and fear as all manner of furniture was hurled at them from seemingly invisible sources. Somehow it avoided the four huddling in the center of the room, who—with the exception of Macy—were watching the chaos in astonishment.

"Diablo! Diablo!" One of the men shouted before crashing through a nearby sliding glass door in an effort to get out. His friends were quick to follow him. All except for the one with the gun. His eyes were livid with fear, but there was something else there as well—curiosity—and so he stood his ground.

"What are you? Demons? Angels?" He whispered, his voice shaking slightly.

"Something like that," Justin said, the corner of his mouth curving in amusement.

The man gulped. "A vow is a vow," he said, partly to himself. No one saw it coming; the gun flashed upward towards Alex and emitted a deafening crack.

Nick didn't even bother to think, putting all of his willpower into action. Several screams erupted as he slumped back onto the floor with Alex's arms wrapped around him, blood turning his plaid shirt crimson. In a flash, Kevin and Joe body slammed the offender, throwing him headfirst into a wall and knocking him senseless. The threat taken care of, they turned their attention on their brother.

"You can't leave me, Nick. Please don't leave me," Alex was sobbing. Her arms were crossed tightly over his chest as if it would stop the bleeding, but he grew paler and paler by the second, having lost consciousness long before.

"We need to get him to a hospital. Fast," Justin said in a serious voice. His concern wasn't just for Nick; he had been watching his sister for a while and noted that she was slowly losing her color as well. He had begun to think that the two of them were linked in some way; it wasn't scientific, but magic couldn't be defined by the laws of science. That's what scared him.

"And Macy too," Kevin said, lifting the limp girl into his arms. He had hoped he'd never have to see her like this again.

"Come on, my van's in the garage," Mrs. Misa said, standing up. She was still bewildered by what had transpired earlier, but at the moment the safety of her daughter and her daughter's friend was more important than unbelievable answers.

The van hurtled down the road twenty miles over the speed limit. Thankfully the rain was holding back, but the thunder clouds overhead boomed ominously as if to warn them. During the journey, Joe made two calls; the first one to the police regarding the gang member currently lying on the floor of the Misa household, and the second to his parents, who promised to be there in two seconds. Stella cried into his shoulder the entire time, and after hanging up he did his best to comfort her.

"Stay with us, Alex," Justin told his sister quietly. She was still clinging to Nick as if he was her only anchor in this world. It took a little while for her eyes to focus on Justin, and even when they did he could see the light fading from them. He squeezed her hand, hoping to lend her courage. He wasn't so sure he had much of it left, however.

**********************

"So how's Macy doing?"

"She's fine. The bullet didn't go very deep. It just skimmed her shoulder."

"What about Nick, then? It's been a few days. He isn't…in a coma or anything, is he?"

"No, but the doctor said he's not doing so well. No major organs were damaged, but he lost a lot of blood."

"Then what's wrong with this Alex Russo girl? I thought Nick was the only one who got hit."

"That's the problem. No one knows."

It was the mention of Alex, not the sound of familiar voices, that jolted me back to the present world. Before that I was perfectly content to float mindlessly in the darkness, free from pain. But pain was nothing when Alex was in trouble. She needed me, and I needed her.

It took what felt like centuries to open my eyes. They seemed to be made of lead and were nearly impossible lift, but I managed it. I found myself staring at the black screen of a heart monitor. Wires and tubes surrounded me, some of them linking me to a bag of blood hanging nearby. The room I was in was dark, and it took me a while to realize that it was because the blinds were closed and not because of the time of day. Several blurry figures stood at the far end of my bed, talking. My eyes focused and I realized they were my dad, Joe, and Stella.

"Alex," I managed to get out, although not without some difficulty. I tried again, a little more successful the second time.

"Thank goodness he's awake," Dad breathed. "I'm going to go find your mother and Frankie. They've been pretty worked up over this," he told Joe before leaving the room.

It was hard for me to imagine Frankie getting worked up just because of me being hurt. But now wasn't the time to wonder about that.

"Dude, what were you thinking, taking the bullet like that? You could have died!" Joe said, moving closer. I noticed the shiner on his left eye had adopted a yellowish tint.

"He was going to…kill her," I said, the words slowly becoming clearer.

"So you sacrificed yourself for Alex," Stella said, and I was pretty sure she was awwing on the inside.

"You still scared me, man. Scared all of us," Joe told me honestly.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I really need to know where Alex is," I said, the urgency clear in my voice.

Joe and Stella looked at each other, communicating with their eyes. Usually I didn't mind, but right now I just wanted to yell at them for not saying it out loud.

"She passed out a little after you did, for no reason at all. They had to admit her when we got here because her heartbeat was weak. But no one really knows what's wrong with her. And doctors are supposed to know, like, everything," Joe responded.

"Joe, they couldn't possibly know everything. But it is a little strange," Stella remarked.

I tried to raise myself up, but pain like a burning fire shot through me. I cried out and fell backwards, mad at myself for being so easily defeated by my body.

"Whoa, cool it, bro. That bullet shattered part of your rib. You won't be walking anytime soon," Joe informed me.

I moaned in frustration. "You don't understand, Joe. I _have _to see her."

"He's right."

I looked over in surprise to see Justin standing in the doorway. I watched him as he walked to the foot of my bed, noticed the strange look of awe that Joe and Stella gave him, and realized that I wasn't the only one who knew about the Russos' little secret now. It was an odd feeling.

"What are you talking about?" Stella asked. "Nick's in no condition to—"

"I realize that. But I'm afraid…I think she's dying," Justin said, his voice breaking on the words.

The silence that his words imbued was tense and filled with fear. I felt like my heart was being ripped right out of my chest and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Can't you do something? You're a wizard, after all!" I shouted, wishing for all the world that I could tear away the wires that made me prisoner of this hospital bed. Not forgetting the fact that I could barely move without feeling like my ribcage was going to burst.

Justin hung his head mournfully. "I'm afraid magic doesn't work like that. Sure, it can create the perfect splint or draw poison from a wound, but it can't heal the human body. Believe me, I wish it were otherwise," he said with conviction.

"Can you get her here somehow?" I asked him.

"It would take some work to get past all the doctors and nurses, but I think I could manage it," Justin replied, thinking. Without another word he turned and left, walking like a man on a mission.

"He can't just waltz in there and steal Alex. Someone's bound to notice," Stella said, her common sense kicking in.

"I don't know, Stella. Where there's a wizard, there's a way," Joe responded with a smile. Stella rolled her eyes at his lame joke but said nothing.

Sure enough, Justin appeared—literally; straight out of thin air—in the room only a couple minutes later. Cradled in his arms was the love of my life. I couldn't believe how much she had changed: she seemed thinner than usual in her hospital gown, and her skin was the precise shade and—or so it looked—fragility of porcelain. Justin laid her down gently beside me, and I was surprised that her skin was as cold as ice. Out of habit I reached up to brush the hair out of her face and noticed that her eyelids fluttered ever so slightly at my touch.

"Alex," I said softly. Her eyelids fluttered again but didn't open. I was struck by a sudden idea. I blame it on Kevin for making me watch Sleeping Beauty with him twenty times last year, but whether it was stupid or not, it was worth a try. Ignoring the three pairs of eyes watching me, I leaned over slowly—my injured rib was a bit of an inhibition—and kissed her full on the lips. Then I pulled away and waited.

There was a long, frightening moment when I believed that it didn't work and that I truly had lost Alex forever. But then her eyes blinked open. When she saw me above her, a smile crept over her lips, reaching all the way to her eyes and igniting that golden flame that until late had been extinguished.

I breathed in relief and smiled. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"Now that was _way_ better than Kevin's reenactment of that cartoon."

I tore my eyes away from Alex's and saw that Frankie had been watching us from the doorway. The rest of my family was crowded behind him, staring at us with mixed emotions on their faces. Even Alex and Justin's parents were there, along with a mildly disgusted Max.

For once I didn't care what the heck they were thinking.

**So I think this is the end. Hope you liked it, it was sure fun to write :)**


	12. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

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**

**So I decided to write a sequel. Just go to my profile if you want to read it. It's called A Choice to Make. Hope you enjoy it as much as this one :)**

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